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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688240">The Luck You Got</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/btvsmcu/pseuds/btvsmcu'>btvsmcu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dean Winchester is Fiona Gallagher, Dean Winchester is Sam Winchester's Parent, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Dysfunctional Family, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/F, F/M, Foster Care, Friends to Lovers, Homophobic Language, Illegal Activities, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Inspired by Shameless (US), John Winchester Being an Asshole, M/M, Openly Bisexual Dean Winchester, Openly Gay Castiel (Supernatural), Smoking, Swearing, Underage Drinking, deadbeat john and mary, deancas shameless au, like a lot of swearing, nsfw language/jokes, sex but not explicit, south side chicago</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:41:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,801</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688240</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/btvsmcu/pseuds/btvsmcu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Best friends Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak grew up together in the South Side of Chicago. When Dean’s parents leave during his junior year, he’s forced to drop out to take care of his five younger siblings. And has been doing so for the last five years.</p>
<p>But Dean never felt alone in raising these kids. He had his best friend Cassie, her girlfriend Kelly and, of course, Cas. That was until Cas, smart kid that he is, got offered a full-ride scholarship, leaving Dean and his hometown behind.</p>
<p>Now back in town, he and Dean are left wondering if their relationship, that's always been more than a frienship, can ever go back to what it used to be.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bela Talbot/Anael, Cassie Robinson/Kelly Kline, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury/Jo Harvelle, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This isn't my first time writing but it IS my first fic here on ao3! I oroginally started posting this on twt but since I know it's going to be kind of long I thought I'd post it here as well as twitter (my twitter is @FIONASDEAN as well by the way)</p>
<p>Anyone that’s seen Shameless (the US version) will know sort of what they’re getting into, even though this au isn’t going to be taking plot lines directly from Shameless it’ll have a similar sort of vibe.</p>
<p>I’m still going to put trigger warnings throughout but still please be careful and mindful! And if anything truly detailed is written i’ll include a summary/shortened version of it</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy the story! :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's no secret that the Winchester's neighborhood is not exactly the Garden of Eden. Hell, most people say God avoids the place altogether. But to them, it's home. All they've ever known.</p><p>The place that, at age fifteen, Dean was forced to drop out of high school so that he could raise his five younger siblings.</p><p>A task that, still five years later, certainly comes with its challenges. Especially considering the wide age range. Each kid has their own set of individual, and usually age-appropriate, problems.</p><p>Jo and Sam are teenagers, only a year apart with Sam about to be a junior and Jo becoming a senior. They're closer to Dean's age, he gets to treat them as such. They joke together, smoke together, and Dean lies that they share much of the responsibilities of the household just to please their respective 16-year-old and 17-year-old egos.</p><p>But the younger three, Ben, Krissy and Jack, they've become more like his kids. The oldest of the three, Ben, is nicknamed Dean 2.0. The 10-year-old looks up to his eldest brother almost too much. Practically idolises the guy. Which, ironically, is exactly what Dean had made the mistake of doing with John when he was around Ben's age.</p><p>Between them is Krissy, who only just turned 6 years old. Lucky for Dean, she doesn't idolise her siblings, however she does enjoy trying to act like she's the same age. She pays her two dollars rent every month, and her brothers and sister don't really have the heart to tell her it's not quite as heavy a contribution that their part-time jobs offer.</p><p>And then there's Jack. Just learning to walk, just learning to talk. No idea the kind of shit show his parents birthed him into. But he's a Winchester, and Dean likes to think by the time he's his age he'll have a chance of getting out of their shitty little house in their shitty little neighborhood.</p><p>Mary Winchester ran out soon after Krissy was born. Apparently, the burden of four kids was too much to handle, yet the guilty conscience of passing that burden to her eldest son was not. Dean knew she didn't give a shit. She proved that even further by stopping by for a rebound one night stand with John, and nine-month later dumping Jack on the doorstep. Another kid for Dean to take care of. Another kid for John and Mary to pretend doesn't exist.</p><p>John Winchester fell off the wagon soon after his wife left him. Not that he needed much of a push since John and Mary were barely good parents when they were together, but at least they were there. Dean wishes he could say John had the decency to stick around but most of the time he finds himself wishing that he hadn't. He likes to call him the deadbeat that doesn't know how being a deadbeat works. He goes missing for days, sometimes weeks, only returning once he's hit rock bottom. Or run out of money he's scammed and stolen. Or been forcibly dragged back to the Winchester residence by Officer Donna Hanscum, who they were fortunate to have as a family friend.</p><p>This family, this broken little bundle of people, is all Dean has ever known.</p><p>All his life he's been taking care of everyone else. The thought of taking care of himself is more of a daydream than a possibility. It's a fact he doesn't like to dwell on. And, honestly, between changing dirty diapers, middle school science projects and trying his best to help with high school algebra, a fact he doesn't have much time to dwell on.</p><p>But he doesn't mind. Because it's not his siblings' fault. They deserve a better life than he's had.</p><p>And he's determined to give them just that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Welcome Back to the South Side</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Also just wanted to add that since this started as a sm au theres going to be texts/gcs as well as writing! There may also be some additionally writing where there are only twitter posts/pictures in the sm au but everything else will be mostly the same! :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Monday, 7:12 am</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Winchester Residence</strong>
</p><p>Dean has always been a light sleeper when it came to noises inside his house. He'd stay unconscious through police sirens and noisy neighbours but the second a step would creak or a baby would cry he'd be wide awake and ready. So he'd gotten used to being awoken before his alarm by the sound of tiny footsteps.</p><p>And if that's not enough to wake him, then the full weight of an overly energised six year old sitting onto his stomach certainly is</p><p>"Good morning!" Dean lets out a dramatic groan that makes his sister giggle before he lets out a deep sigh, brushing Krissy's messy bed hair from her face</p><p>"Hey, monkey," Krissy drops back down onto the bed beside Dean so he can sit up, all the while her pleased and amused grin never leaves her face, "Look at you, grinnin' like the Cheshire Cat first thing on a Monday morning," he smirks, raising a suspicious eyebrow as he pokes her cheek gently, "Can't be that excited for school,"</p><p>"Daddy's downstairs," Dean's smile quickly dropped, feeling so much dread at the fact that John was in the house he almost forgot who he was talking to. Clearing his throat, Dean looks away, hiding his anxiety from his youngest sister as he puts on a fake smile</p><p>"He awake?" he asks, the concern in his tone ever-growing</p><p>"No," she replies, and Dean clenches his fist to hold back his sigh of relief, "I put a pillow under his head," Dean rolls his eyes as an amused chuckle escapes his lips. Krissy still has a habit of being a 'daddy's girl' every time John decided to show up. Which isn't her fault, at age six John still had plenty of years left to let her down just like he had the rest of his children</p><p>"You gotta stop doing that, he doesn't deserve your help, Kris," She nods, giving Dean an over dramatic shrug as her grin grows</p><p>"I know," she agrees, a fact that catches Dean off guard at first. But it doesn't take him more than a few moments to realise that Krissy's smile wasn't because she was happy to have their father home. She'd clearly picked up a few tricks from Ben of what to do when John shows up unconscious on the kitchen floor</p><p>Dean chuckles, moving the bedsheets out of the way so that there was a flat space in front of Krissy on the mattress, "How much did you get?" Clearly pleased her brother knows her so well, Krissy's smile beams as she finally places a pile of crumpled up bills and a few coins on the bed between them</p><p>"Thirty one dollars and... forty two cents," She proudly states as Dean's grin widens, bringing up a hand to mess up Krissy's hair teasingly</p><p>"Heyyy, nice!" Krissy giggles, failing to swat away her older brother's hand in time for him to worsen her bedhead, "Anything else?"</p><p>Krissy shakes her head, looking up in thought as she begins to list, "Gum wrappers, q-tips, candy, nothing useful," Dean raises an eyebrow, not entirely confident that the 'candy' Krissy had found in their father's pockets was actually candy</p><p>"And you didn't eat any, right?" he cautiously asks, and Krissy quickly shakes her head again. She'd been told multiple times not to consume anything her father gave her</p><p>"Nope!"</p><p>"That's my girl!" replies Dean in a relieved tone as he raises his fist, pointing at it, "Right here," Krissy giggles, bumping Dean's fist with her own before finally, Dean leans back, gathering up the money Krissy had just given him "God, what time is it?" he glances over at the alarm on his bedside table</p><p>
  <em>7:14 am</em>
</p><p>Everyone else in the house should definitely be getting up and ready by now. He turns back to Krissy, letting out another dramatic sigh as he nudges her lightly with his elbow, "We should probably wake everybody else up, huh?" Krissy nods, pushing herself off the edge of the bed as she makes her way towards Dean's bedroom door</p><p>"We mustn't be late!" she puts on what she thinks is an adult and 'sophisticated' tone, and Dean has to hold back his amused chuckles so she didn't know the rest of the house found her adorably cute rather than intimidating and bossy</p><p>"No..." he agrees, watching her leave the room, "we mustn't," he heads for his top drawer, grabbing the first shirt he see's and bringing it towards his face to sniff once, which he deems 'good enough' by his shrug and exaggerated frown.</p><p>Dean's still pulling his shirt over his head as he walks down the hall into Sam and Ben's shared bedroom "7:15, kiddos!" he calls, knocking on the door knowing the loud noise combined with his yelling would be enough to wake them, "Come on, up and at 'em!" Dean continues to call as he walks towards Jack, Jo and Krissy's room, satisfied when he hears Ben and Sam shuffling out of bed, "Wakey, wakey, 7:15!" he opens the door to see Jo already up, but still in her pajamas</p><p>"I call first shower!" Sam yells from down the hall, and Jo looks up in horror, barely giving Dean enough time to move out of the way before she runs out of the room</p><p>"No fair, you had it yesterday!" Sam makes it to the door just before Jo, giving her the finger before slamming the door in her face and locking it behind him, "Hey!" she bangs at the door with her fist and Dean grimaces as the force rocks the house, "You only go in there first to jerk off since you're too much of a fuckwad to get a girlfriend!"</p><p>As Jo continues to try and irritate Sam out of the shower, Dean makes his way further into the room towards Jack in his crib, who is standing ready to be picked up</p><p>"Hey, little man!" Dean leans down to pick up Jack and immediately grimaces in disgust at the smell coming from his diaper, "Woah, god," he sighs, forcing himself to pick up Jack and move him to the changing table, "Okay..." Dean sighs, getting back into his usual routine once he's gotten over the smell. It's not like he hasn't had to change millions of diapers before this one. Doesn't stop it from being only less gross, "Yup that's... gotta be a world record or something," Dean tosses the dirty diaper into the bin as he gets Jack cleaned up</p><p>"We gotta get you using the potty soon, huh? And then we can use the money we spend on diapers to buy more toys," Jack giggles and Dean smiles, ticking his stomach, "Yeah, see? More toys sounds great, huh?" Dean ducks down, keeping a hand on Jack to stop him from falling as he looks through the messy boxes of baby things to find a clean diaper.</p><p>And soon discovers there isn't one, "Shit..." Dean whispers to himself, before leaning back a little so his voice can reach the rest of the house, "Anyone know where the diapers are?!"</p><p>But of course, he hears no response. Because Jo is too busy irritating her little brother, whilst Krissy and Ben are, or at least Dean hopes they are, both still getting dressed</p><p>In a panic, Dean simply places Jack back down on the floor, not risking putting any clean clothes on him yet since he knew he was bound to ruin them. But, to Dean's dismay, Jack decides to run out of the room, giggling away, still no clothes</p><p>"Wh- Jack!" Dean follows him out of the room, only having to do a minor speed walk compared to the two-year-olds amused sprint, but before he can catch him he steps on a piece of lego, the sharp pain of it shocking his whole body, "Son of a-" he grasps his foot, leaning against the wall as he decides it's probably not the best idea to hop after Jack, "Ben! Clean up your legos from the hallway!"</p><p><em>"Sorry!"</em> he hears his younger brother reply from his bedroom, and he sighs deeply through the sharp pain, closing his eyes.</p><p>The bathroom door swings open and Sam, wet hair sticking to his forehead and towel around his waist, walks out "It's all yours," he tells Jo with a glare, but she simply returns it, giving a mocking smile, shoving past him and slamming the door angrily behind her.</p><p>Sam walks back to his room and manages to pull on his boxers before he sees Jack, stood in the doorway, devious smile on his face</p><p>"Hey, dude," he chuckles, using a more high-pitched tone like he always does when talking to the little ones. But he doesn't have long to wonder why Jack has wandered into his room with no clothes on before he starts peeing all over the carpet, "Oh shit!" In a panic, Sam runs over and lifts his brother, holding him at an arms-length, "Jet stream!" he turns, sending the pee that was once spraying on the carpet onto the walls</p><p>"Woah!" Ben backs into his room as Sam speedily walks towards the bathroom that Jo had luckily left unlocked</p><p>"Coming in!" He kicks the door open and holds Jack over the toilet to finish his business as Jo gasps, grabbing the shower curtain to cover herself</p><p>"What the hell?!" she glares, but Sam simply rolls his eyes</p><p>"Better for Jack to pee in the toilet than all over the floor!" he retorts, giving Jo no time to respond before Sam turned his head towards the door, calling out to his older brother, "Dean! Where's Jack's diaper?"</p><p>
  <em>"I'm lookin!"</em>
</p><p>Jo narrows her eyes at her brothers, shaking her head in disbelief "Oh, so you're the only one that gets to have a peaceful shower?!" Sam scoffs as Jack finally stops peeing, allowing him to hold the two-year-old in his arms instead of at an arms-length</p><p>"I hardly call you screaming at me through the damn door peaceful!" he retorts, when finally Dean comes walking into the room with a clean diaper</p><p>"Hey!" he scolds, but it's clear that Jo is getting angrier and angrier as the number of brothers in the bathroom increases "Can we please make it through one morning with no arguments?"</p><p>"He started it!"</p><p>"I didn't start shit!"</p><p>"I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it!" Dean yells over them, using his overly strict 'parent voice' that, finally, ends the arguing. The three stand in awkward silence before Jo finally snaps, one hand tightly gripping the shower curtain</p><p>"Great," Jo nods sarcastically as she uses her free hand to gesture out of the door, "Now would everyone please just get the fuck out!" Dean nods and chuckles, taking Jack back from Sam as the boys finally leave Jo to shower in peace.</p><p>* * *</p><p>
  <strong>[ dean’s iphone ]</strong>
</p><p><strong>[ text from:</strong> <em>redhead novak </em><strong>]</strong></p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:17 am]:</strong> hey, winchester can u cover my shift tonight?</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:18 am]:</strong> yea sure<br/><strong>dean winchester [7:18 am]:</strong> everything alright?</p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:19 am]:</strong> yea i was sort of hoping for a no questions asked<br/><strong>redhead novak [7:19 am]:</strong> since i never ask u &lt;3</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:19 am]:</strong> hey! it was a hungover thing one time!<br/><strong>dean winchester [7:20 am]:</strong> every other time was because of the kids and you know it</p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:21 am]:</strong> sure it was!</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:21 am]:</strong> bitch do u want me to cover for you or not ??</p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:22 am]:</strong> bitch ik you need the money</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:22 am]:</strong> maybe im busy<br/><strong>dean winchester [7:22 am]:</strong> maybe i have five kids to take care of without a sitter</p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:23 am]:</strong> and to buy food and pay bills for</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:23 am]:</strong> ...<br/><strong>dean winchester [7:24 am]:</strong> touché</p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:24 am]:</strong> so you’ll do it?</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:24 am]:</strong> of course i’ll do it<br/><strong>dean winchester [7:25 am]:</strong> also i already said yes</p><p><strong>redhead novak [7:25 am]:</strong> ik !! thanks dumbass !!</p><p><strong>dean winchester [7:26 am]:</strong> np dickhead !!</p><p>* * *</p><p>Clean diaper found and clothes on, Jack now sits happily on Dean's hip as he walks down the stairs, smile faltering when he sees his father no longer lying on the kitchen floor unconscious but sat at the end of the kitchen table, wide awake</p><p>"Oh good! You're awake," he glares, voice dripping in sarcasm as he places Jack in his high chair</p><p>"Is that sarcasm I detect?" John raises a brow, "From my eldest son?" Dean lets out a humourless chuckle, clearly agitated by John's presence</p><p>"Eldest son?" he repeats as he walks away from John towards the fridge to get Jack's breakfast, "Wow I'm surprised you remember who I am since this is the first time you've set foot in my house for weeks,"</p><p>"Your house?" John asks, but Dean is too distracted staring at the way the alphabet magnets have been rearranged on the fridge. Because someone, most likely his eldest sister, had rearranged them to read 'eat ass', which Dean couldn't help but chuckle at despite it probably wasn't the best phrase for a five, two and eleven year old to see first thing in the morning</p><p>"Joanna, if you rearrange the fridge magnets one more time!" He yells, not yet responding to his father's snide comment</p><p><em>"I have no idea what you're talking about!" </em>He hears her yell in response, though he can tell by her tone she's lying. Letting out an amused chuckle, Dean decides to leave her artwork, opening the fridge and taking out Jack's breakfast</p><p>"Might be in your name," he finally begins to respond to John, "but you don't pay a god damn thing towards it," he's trying his best not to lose his temper in front of Jack, "Or your family," Dean glares down at John as he places the plate of cut up bananas in front of his baby brother, "So yeah. My house," before John has the chance to argue, more footsteps are heard, multiple this time, as Krissy, Ben and Sam all come walking into the kitchen</p><p>"Morning!" John greets the three, earning a smile from Krissy but an agitated grunt from Ben. Which is ultimately more of a response than he gets from Sam, who just raises an eyebrow as he reaches the bottom of the stairs, giving John eye contact for no longer than a second before his gaze is moved to his older brother on the other side of the kitchen</p><p>"The fucks he doing here?" Sam points, not even addressing John. Dean simply shrugs, but Sam can tell from the look in his brother's eye that he means</p><p>
  <em>'The guy won't fucking leave'</em>
</p><p>John scoffs, looking at Sam expectantly as he all but slurs through his words, clearly still not fully sober from the night before, "Is that any way to greet your father first thing in the morning?" The only response he gets is Sam's middle finger blocking the view of his face as he crosses the room towards the cabinets in the kitchen, grabbing bowls and cereal for everyone but John, "Nice,"</p><p>Finally, Jo comes down the stairs, running a towel through her wet hair as she makes her way to her usual seat at the table</p><p>"Enjoy your shower?" Sam asks, earning and eye roll from his sister</p><p>"<em>Enjoy your shower?" </em>Jo repeats in a mocking tone as she walks past the table towards the toaster, making a point of not eating the cereal Sam had set out for everyone. Sam nods, an amused smirk on his face</p><p>"Mature," Dean just ignores them, placing two cereal boxes that have been cut open from the back so they can be used as trays for money on the table</p><p>"Electric. Food," Dean points at them, looking around at his family, "Put money in either but a contribution to both would be nice. Pass 'em around," he walks away from the table and back to the main kitchen, "And don't let either of the boxes get anywhere near John!" John shrugs innocently, earning glares from Jo and Sam as all the three kids at the table put in their contributions. Jo walks over, leaving her toast on the side as she pulls out all the money she has in her pockets, putting some in each box</p><p>Sam counts through the money with a concerned look on his face. A look at that Dean knows all too well, "How much are we short?"</p><p>Sam's eyes quickly snap up to meet Dean's, "$19.70,"</p><p>"Okay," Dean sighs, folding his arms as he tries not to look guilty for the apologetic looks he's getting from his siblings. He knows they so badly wanted to be able to pay it all, and it's not their fault they can't,</p><p>"Hey," John begins, everyone else in the room already growing increasingly frustrated by the sound of his voice, "if your short, can I maybe borrow-"</p><p>"Absolutely not!" Dean snatches both boxes, already pocketing the food money before quickly hiding the electric money. John's stolen from them too many times for Dean to not have a place that he can't find their money, "You don't borrow. You take,"</p><p>John grumbles, leaning back in his chair again as he tries to act like he's not still a mixture of drunk and hungover, "Whatever," he snarls, "I still have-" John's sentence stops short as he begins to search his pockets.</p><p>For money.</p><p>The money Krissy had stolen.</p><p>The six year old perks up slightly, quickly looking over at the only sibling of hers that knew what she'd done. But Dean just shakes his head, giving her a wink that says <em>'your secret's safe with me,'</em></p><p>So she leans back down comfortably, trying her best to hide the proud grin starting to form</p><p>"Maybe not..." John trails off, having assumed that he's simply forgotten he already spent it rather than one of his children stole it. And Dean takes the momentary silence as an opportunity to change the subject</p><p>"I've got an extra shift at Harvelle's tonight," he begins, "I'm filling in for Anael, so, I can cover the rest of the money we need, but someone's gonna have to take Jack and pick up Ben and Krissy,"</p><p>Jo shakes her head, hovering her hand in front of her face as she talks with her mouth full of toast, "Can't," she shakes her head, "I have work straight after school," Dean just nods, knowing he can't really argue since they need all of the money they can get. So, he turns to Sam, a sympathetic yet pleading look on his face. His younger brother just sighs, nodding in reluctant agreement since he has no choice but to say yes</p><p>"Uhh, I was gonna go to Ruby's to study but I guess she could just come here," he replies. Dean and Jo exchange amused looks as she folds her arms, leaning agains the counter</p><p>"Oh, to study?" Dean teases, quick to make assumptions on what Sam actually had planned to do when he was left home alone with a girl. Sam narrows his eyes in an unamused glare</p><p>"Yeah," he nods sternly, "to study,"</p><p>Jo shakes her head in disgust, "I don't like that girl," but Dean knows better to agree and get involved in teenage drama. He only knows of Ruby, he's yet to actually meet her but if Jo says she's bad news then she probably is. Because most people in their neighborhood call Jo bad news, so for her to call someone else bad news they'd have to truly be a terrible person</p><p>"She's helping me get good grades!" Sam defends himself, walking his empty bowl over to the sink and grabbing his back pack on the way over</p><p>"Please!" Amused, Jo all but laughs at her brother, watching him cross the room, "The only thing she's gonna help you get is an STD!"</p><p>Krissy drops her spoon, tired of the arguing and now confused at hearing the unfamiliar string of letters for the first time</p><p>"What's an STD?" She finally chimes in, unfortunately reminding the adults and teens that there are small ears listening in the room</p><p>The three stare at each other with wide eyes, unsure how to respond as Krissy and Ben state expectantly, "Umm..."</p><p>But before they can answer, John's scratches his head, turning to face his youngest daughter "It's a-"</p><p>"No!" Dean yells, rushing over and knowing John was about to irresponsibly give the six-year-old a genuine response, "No, no, no!" He lifts Krissy out of her chair and onto his hip as Jo does the same with Jack, "Come on, clear the table, everybody out!" Dean drops Krissy to the floor so she can get her things, taking Jack back from Jo and ushering the rest of his siblings out of the back door "Have a great day!"</p><p>Jo places her hands on Ben's shoulders to guide him but he quickly shrugs her off, running back to Dean and wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug, "You have a great day too, Dean!"</p><p>Krissy glares back at him in slight jealousy as he begins to back away</p><p>"Kiss ass," Holding back a chuckle, Jo brings her hand towards her mouth as Dean forces himself to glare</p><p>"Language!" He scolds, but Krissy only sticks her tongue out, mischievous grin on her cheeks</p><p>"Bye!" She waves, and Sam takes her hand to lead her out the door</p><p>"Later," he lazily waves</p><p>John, who was been watching them all wave and hug their older brother, tuts and shakes his head in disappointment</p><p>"Oh, no goodbye for your father?" Dean shakes his head and Sam clenches his jaw, all but laughing at his father as he pauses in the doorway, hand resting on the handle</p><p>He raises a brow, not even having to say the words<em> 'you know what?' </em>out loud before he utters</p><p>"Fuck off, John," a proud smile appears on Dean's face as a surprised frown appears on John's. He can't even scold his son for his colorful language before he slams the door behind him.</p><p> </p><p>* * *</p><p>
  <b>Monday, 8:23am</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Gas-N-Sip</b>
</p><p>Seeing Dean again was something Cas knew he was going to have to face, but was altogether dreading. The relationship he and Dean had was... complicated to say the least.</p><p>The first time they met they were only eight years old. Sam, who had just turned four at the time, had thrown a frisbee into the large tree at the end of Cas's backyard. And Dean, wonderful big brother that he is, decided it would be a good idea to climb the tree to retrieve it. Which ultimately ended in Dean falling out of said tree and right on top of Castiel.</p><p>The day they met then became known to Dean as 'the day I literally fell for you' to which Cas would simply respond with 'you didn't fall for me, you fell on me'</p><p>For a decade, from when they were just eight years old all the way up to when they were both eighteen they were inseparable.</p><p>Of course, for the first few years it was just a close friendship. Dean would help Cas with his homework, and Cas would help Dean drag John's drunk, unconscious ass back into the house so he didn't freeze in the winter snow or burn in the summer sun. He was there when Ben was born. When Krissy was born. When Mary left. When she dropped another baby on their doorstep. For all of it.</p><p>In their minds, they knew they were closer than normal friends were. But they were never brave enough to put labels on things.</p><p>Not when Cas kissed Dean for the first time on the swing set.</p><p>Not when they stopped seeing anyone but each other.</p><p>Not when their relationship became a lot more intimate.</p><p>Not when even they started saying 'I love you'.</p><p>And certainly not when Cas left for college, barely even saying goodbye.</p><p>Breaking the trust of a Winchester is something everyone knows you can only do once. Because none of them, not even the youngest ones, gave second chances. But Cas had hope in his heart that Dean still loved him. Still wanted to trust him. Even if his walls were built much higher than before. Even if it meant only being Dean's friend.</p><p>Because just the thought of not having Dean in his life made Cas physically nauseous.</p><p> </p><p>* * *<br/><br/></p><p>Dean wasn't entirely sure why he'd decided to come to this store. There were plenty of other places he could have gone to, and it wasn't like he'd come to buy much. A quick milk run, supplies mainly for Jack before he headed to work. His day job at Singer's Garage before he headed to the night shift at Harvelle's. It wasn't even the closest store to the garage. He'd only gotten into the habit of visiting Cas there on his way from one job to the other because quickies in the back room of the store was all the alone time the two of them could get between Dean's multiple jobs, making sure he had enough money to pay bills and put food on the table and Cas’s need to juggle work while trying to maintain good enough grades to escape the south side and go to college.</p><p>But when he finally did leave, Dean didn't have a reason to go anymore. Jo had a temp job there for a while thanks to Charlie, so he'd occasionally stop by to walk her home. But he'd never go in. And lucky for him, his siblings all knew why, so he never had to go through the pain of explaining when somebody asked.</p><p>And yet here he is. Walking down the aisles of the little corner store he'd promised himself he'd never set foot in again on the off chance he'll bump into his ex-best-friend-that's-also-kind-of-his-ex-boyfriend. He knows Cas is there, he knows he's back, and he knows he's going back on every promise he's made himself over the two years of Cas being gone. Because outright trying to find Cas is absolutely the opposite of ignoring him and pretending that nothing ever happened between the two of them.</p><p>There's nothing in the world Dean could have done to prepare himself from the shock of seeing Cas again. His thoughts too much of a whirlwind to externally react. A mixture of, <em>come on, it's only been two years</em> and <em>holy shit it's been fucking two years</em>. He feels like a teenager again, seeing Cas like that. He wants to let himself get lost in ocean blue and hear Cas's voice whispering to him again. He wants Cas to cup his cheeks and tell him he's doing a good job because, fuck, he hasn't heard anyone tell him that in a long time. Not the way Castiel used to.</p><p>He wants to hate the feeling he gets around Cas. Because in his neighbourhood, safety is a weakness. And safe is all he feels whenever he's with Cas. But he doesn't hate it. It scares the shit out of him but he doesn't hate it. No matter how much he tells himself he does.</p><p>It's not like he can leave now, his shopping cart is full, his two-year-old brother is clearly getting restless, he's already managed to avoid Charlie, but he physically can't ignore Cas. So he forces himself to move, one foot in front of the other, towards Cas, using the fact that he's already serving a customer to his advantage and hiding so Cas has yet to see him.</p><p>His turn is coming and Cas still hasn't noticed him. It's not too late to turn back. It's not too late to just grab Jack and run, just leave everything and get what he needs from another store, any other store. But he can't. He's frozen. Stuck between wanting more than anything to speak to Cas and never wanting to see him again.</p><p>But the unknowing customer leaves. Removes himself as the barrier between two lost best friends.</p><p>And, finally, their eyes meet. Blue and green stare intensely into each other and Dean's forgotten that he's been holding his breath the entire time but he's too scared to let his chest rise and fall rapidly now. Mouth dry and knuckles white from the stern grip on the shopping cart, Dean continues to stare, unsure of what to do or say or feel or anything</p><p>
  <em>Hello </em>
</p><p>He hears his last piece of logic distantly tell him</p><p>
  <em>Greetings usually start with ‘hello’ </em>
</p><p>But Cas beats him to it</p><p>"Dean..." is all says, failed attempt at hiding the nervous shake in his voice, expression a mixture of guilt and sympathy</p><p>"Hey, Cas," Dean looks down, letting out a nervous chuckle as he pushes the shopping cart closer to the cash register, "I, uh... I didn't know you were back," his eyes snap back up just in time to see that Cas was watching him, but they were quick to tear their gaze away once the other had noticed</p><p>"Yeah, I- I got a new phone," he explains, "Lost all my old contacts," Dean can tell he's lying, but he knows that finding out the truth would hurt even more than the lame excuse he got.</p><p>Cas left. He moved out, he got away and he left Dean behind, along with the rest of his life in the south side. Because he needed a fresh start, and that's what you do when you're getting a fresh start. You cut off all ties to the life you had before. Even if you're in love.</p><p>"Right..." is all Dean finds himself able to say, fingertips tapping idly on the counter separating them.</p><p>Noticing the young boy in the seat of the shopping cart, Cas leans forward, same welcoming smile on his face that Dean tries so hard not to admire, "God, is that Jack?"</p><p>Dean nods, "Yeah," he replies, brushing the two-year-old's light brown hair from his face as he giggles</p><p>"Wow, look at you!" Cas grins, and Jack tilts his head quizically as he looks up at them, "You actually have hair on your head! Bet you don't remember me, huh?"</p><p>"You've been gone for a while," Dean replies, not meaning to sound as longing as he'd come across. Cas freezes, not wanting to let the smile of his face drop or falter and let Dean know just how easily he could still read him. Instead, he gives the oldest Winchester an apologetic glance, leaning away from his little brother as he continues swiping items.</p><p>An awkward silence sets in, only broken by the beep of the scanner every time a new barcode is swiped. Neither of them knows what to say.</p><p>Because what else can they say?</p><p>Cas was pretty sure Dean had no interest in hearing about his time in college, the same way Dean was fairly certain that Cas didn't want to hear about the fact that his life hadn't changed at all</p><p>"Uh, what's the total right now?" Dean finally asks, remembering that he had a limited amount of money to spend and using this as an excuse to try and pick up the conversation again</p><p>"Um..." Cas looks at the register and back and Dean, "$8.56," he replies, and Dean nods, starting to get the collection of notes and change his siblings had given him this morning out of his pockets and counting it up on the surface</p><p>Dean lets out a shaky breath, absentmindedly desperate to keep their conversation going, "I, uh, wasn't expecting to see you back here behind a cash register," Brow raised, Cas looks back up at Dean, trying his best to pretend he doesn't know what he's doing</p><p>"Yeah, well..." He laughs humourlessly, "Claire's comin' home from juvie. Dad's in jail, mom is... well, dealing with that poorly. Ana asked if I could come home for a while, help out with the bills and the angry teenager,"</p><p>"Wait, Claire's in juvie?"</p><p>"Yeah,"</p><p>"What did she do?" Cas rolls his eyes, laughing again</p><p>"Be easier to tell you what she didn't do," he sighs, giving Dean a moment of eye contact, "But apparently she's better behaved than the other delinquents in there. They're letting her out for 'good behaviour'," for the first time, Dean and Cas share the same amused look</p><p>"Now there's two words I never thought I'd hear when talkin 'bout your little sister," Dean pauses and looks up in thought, remembering that Cas has more than one little sister, "Either of them, actually," He comments, earning another laugh from Castiel</p><p>"Yeah, you and me both..." he trails off, chewing at the inside of his lip as he concentrates on the cash register, letting it calculate the total before looking back up at Dean, "Okay, your total is $18.72,"</p><p>"Shit..." Dean bites his lip, trying his best to quickly count over the money in his head even though he already knows he doesn't have enough, "H-how much without the diapers?" Trying his best not to seem patronising, Cas lets out a sympathetic sigh, giving Dean a look that he knows all too well</p><p>"Dean-"</p><p>"Don't say it," Dean points in warning, already moving to grab the diapers, but Cas manages to get them first, gripping them firmly as he continues to try and persuade Dean</p><p>"Dean, I can pay the difference,"</p><p>"No," Dean refuses again, "No thanks, I'm good,"</p><p>Cas, clearly unconvinced, holds back a laugh at just how little Dean had changed "You're good?" he repeats, and Dean narrows his eyes in a glare, becoming more and more defensive as their conversation continues</p><p>"I don't like owing people money," He can't hold it in anymore. The chuckle Cas had been holding in finally escapes, and he acts as if he doesn't notice Dean's jaw tighten</p><p>"Trust me, I know,"</p><p>His voice an angered whisper, Dean leans forward in hope that his younger brother, and the surrounding customers, wouldn't hear, "So you know that I can't let you pay for any of this, man,"</p><p>"Dean, it's not like all this stuff isn't stuff you need," replies Cas, pointing at the essential toiletries he'd picked up, "You think I'm gonna let you walk out of this store without diapers and toilet paper?"</p><p>"Cas-"</p><p>"You said you were in your way to work, right?" Cas interrupts again, "You still workin at Harvelle's?"</p><p>"Just nights," Dean nods, "Right now I'm headed to the garage,"</p><p>"Singer's?"</p><p>"Yeah,"</p><p>"But you'll be at Harvelle's tonight?"</p><p>"W-well yeah, I- I'm covering for your sister, actually..." Dean stammers, pausing in thought as he goes over what he's discovered about Cas's return in their conversation, "Which makes a lot more sense now that I know why you're back-"</p><p>"Great," he stops Dean's nervous rambling, "So instead of owing me money, I'll stop by at closing and you can make me dinner," Dean pauses, not noticing that Cas is holding their breath as they nervously await his reply. But this wasn't the first time he's had to trick Dean Winchester into thinking he's accepting help. Because if there's one thing Dean hates most it's being made to feel like a charity case</p><p>"Um..." he clears his throat, not pausing for long before his mind is made up, "Yeah," Hiding his relieved sigh, Cas smiles, giving a reassuring nod, "Okay... yeah, deal,"</p><p>Silence falls again as Cas continues to bag Dean's things, glancing up every now and then to watch him gently lifting Jack from his seat in the shopping cart "Listen, I..." Dean begins, and Cas looks up, an almost hopeful look in his eyes. But it's then he realises that again, Dean was only trying to continue their conversation, and had yet again found himself lost for words. So, he settles for "thank you,"</p><p>To which Cas simply replies, "It's really no problem,"</p><p>Two year old on his hip and bags in his hand, Dean finds himself not yet wanting to say goodbye. But he's grateful for the excuse he has that allows for his exit</p><p>"Alright, speakin' of Singer's I gotta get to work," Cas nods, bagging his receipt before holding out the last of the bright blue plastic</p><p>"Good seeing you, Winchester," Dean can't help but smirk when he hears Cas say his surname, quickly returning the favour</p><p>"Yeah, you too, Novak," He starts to back away, motioning with his free hand to Castiel, knowing they'd be watching him leave, "Welcome back to the South Side," Cas just nods again as Dean leans towards Jack, making the tone in his voice higher, "Say bye-bye, Jack!"</p><p>"Bu-bye," the two-year-old calls out quietly, earning a fond smile from Cas as he waves back and watches them go through the automatic door</p>
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